TERRIFIED residents of a Coventry block of flats say they feel under siege from gangs of youths after an arson attack.

And they believe the latest attack - where a blazing car was pushed towards an entrance at Alpha House, in Barras Heath - was direct retaliation because they had spoken out about yobs.

Alpha House resident David Harris, who has been spearheading a campaign to get the flats cleaned up, said on Sunday night teenagers torched a car by throwing a firework inside and then shoved it towards the rear entrance of the flats.

Luckily, the car hit a lamppost before it reached the building and the arsonists escaped.

But neighbours think the attack was made out of "revenge" because they had the courage to speak to the Coventry Telegraph about the problems they face every day.

Mr Harris, aged 43, who has lived in the block for three years, has been pushing for social landlords Whitefriars to clean up the high-rise flats.

He said: "They were pushing (the car) towards Alpha House and we feel it was a deliberate attack because we complained about them.

"It's almost like a siege mentality."

Whitefriars has pledged to hold a security review and address residents' concerns.